Lions settle for scrappy draw at Arundel.

By Tony Shea

In a game that will not linger long in the memory, Pagham and Arundel shared the points at Mill Road on a sunny but cold afternoon on Saturday 24th Feb.

It was the lions who showed first after just 90 seconds when Dan Simmonds fired a foot or so over the bar from 25 yards out. He didn’t have to wait long for his goal though, as less than a minute later, a superb cross from James Thurgar on the left fell to a completely unmarked Simmonds at the far post and he blasted home to give his side the lead.

It was all Pagham until they were completely surprised in the 15th minute when Arundel’s Shane Brazil made himself some room on the right, on the break, and his low cross was smashed home by Alex Biggs. Biggs could easily have given the Mullets the lead not long after, but he put his lob over the bar when he should really have scored.

Joe Booker had a header saved by Arundel keeper Stevens but that was the last real action of the half and the sides went in all square at 1-1.

Pagham made a change at half time, bringing on Jamie Horncastle for Daryl Wollers but nothing much happened on the pitch until Lions goalie James Binfield was forced into a smart save, following, it has to be said, his own error to set up the chance in the first place,

A minute later and Pagham missed the best chance of the game, as the ball looped into the air off of Stevens, from a low Callum Overton shot, but somehow Dan Simmonds managed to nod wide with the goal at his mercy. Eleven minutes after that Simmonds was unlucky not to get the winner when his shot was heading for the bottom corner, only for 'keeper Stevens to pull off a fine save.

Pagham tried to force the winner, bringing on Joe Kilhams for James Thurgar after the latter appeared to have been booked for taking too long to take a corner, but even moving Joe Booker up front failed to get the required results and the game petered out as a 1-1 draw.